How to use Safe Exam Browser
Safe Exam Browser (SEB) is a secure browser that can be used with Moodle Quiz activities to restrict access to other websites, applications, and system features during an exam. This guide explains the default options, best practice when using SEB.
EdTech Support can help with Safe Exam Browser (SEB) by supporting staff who set up SEB‑enabled exams. EdTech Support covers the parts of Myplace that interact with SEB, especially quiz configuration and troubleshooting.
Enabling SEB - where to find it and how to switch it on.
Default settings - what to leave as default and what to change.
Enable URL Filtering - how to enable, block and allow and the impact.
Checklist
Instructions
Enabling SEB
Open the Quiz activity and select Settings
Scroll to Safe Exam Browser heading
Select Yes – Configure manually from the drop down menu.
This allows Moodle to control SEB behaviour for this quiz and is the standard approach in Moodle 4.5 and 5.1.
Default settings
Setting | What it controls | Default or Change |
|---|---|---|
Show Safe Exam Browser download button | Displays Safe Exam Browser download link | Default - Yes (personal devices) Change - No (managed labs) |
Show Exit Safe Exam Browser button, configured with this quit link | Offers an Exit Safe Exam Browser button on the page that appears after the exam is submitted. When clicking the button or the link placed wherever you want to put it, it is possible to quit SEB without having to enter a quit password. | Default - If no link is entered, then the "Exit Safe Exam Browser" button does not appear and there is no link set to quit SEB. Change - In this field you can enter the link to quit SEB. For an HTTPS site, the quit link has to start with https://. |
Ask user to confirm quitting | Confirmation prompt on exit | Default - Yes |
Enable quitting of SEB | Allows Safe Exam Browser to be exited | Default - Yes |
Quit password | Password required to exit SEB. | Default - Blank Change - Passwords are typically only required in tightly supervised exam conditions. |
Enable reload in exam | Allows page reload if something goes wrong | Default - Yes |
Show SEB task bar | Displays Safe Exam Browser toolbar | Default - Yes |
Show reload button | Reload button in toolbar | Default - Yes |
Show time | Displays a clock | Default - Yes |
Show keyboard layout | Shows keyboard layout indicator – you can select this if you want to use other keyboard layouts that are available on the site | Default - Yes |
Show Wi-Fi control | Allows network selection if they need to reconnect to a network they were previously connected to | Default - No |
Enable audio controls | Volume controls | Default - No Change - Yes if audio is used |
Mute on startup (Additional option if audio controls enabled)
| Starts Safe Exam Browser muted | Default - No Change - Yes if required |
Allow browser access to camera | Will request users to grant access when the browser loads. If disabled video recording and camera will be unavailable | Default - No Change - Yes if specifically required. |
Allow browser access to microphone | Will request users to grant access when the browser loads. If disabled then the user will not be able to use the microphone for voice recording | Default - No Change - Yes if specifically required. |
Enable spell checking |
| Default - No Change - Yes |
Enable URL filtering | See further guidance below | Default - No Change - Yes |
Enable URL Filtering
Select Yes for Enable URL filtering and Filter also embedded content, as shown at counters 1 and 2 in image.
Settings | Recommendation | Impact |
|---|---|---|
Enable URL filtering | Yes (for secure exams) | If enabled, URLs will be filtered when loading web pages. The filter set has to be defined below: Expressions allowed |
Filter also embedded content | Yes (This ensures embedded videos, PDFs, and iframes follow the same access rules) | Filter also embedded content |
Regex are "regular expressions" (= placeholders).
How filtering works
Block rules are checked first
Allow rules are checked second
If a URL:
· Matches a block rule: blocked
· Matches an allow rule: allowed
· Matches neither: blocked
You will then be presented with the below further options:
Expressions allowed
Regex allowed
Expressions blocked
Regex blocked
Please refer to the below table for explanation of the options and examples.
Field | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
Expressions allowed | The expressions specified in this positive list may be searched for by the examination participants during active examination mode. | Example.com/ library.example.ac.uk/* |
Regex allowed | Regex are "regular expressions" (= placeholders). This whitelist can be used to specify which expressions with placeholders may be searched for by exam participants while the exam mode is active. | Scenario: You want to allow students to access any page on ://example.com but not the main Example.com site. |
Useful information:
· One entry per line
· Wildcard * is supported
· Adding * allows all websites (not recommended)
Field | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
Expressions blocked | Expressions specified here block access to URLs and file names on your own computer that contain these expressions. If the option "Also filter embedded content" is selected, even if they are found in their content. | |
Regex blocked | URLs with the regex expressions (expressions with placeholders) specified here are blocked. If the embedded content is also filtered, such pages are also blocked. | Scenario: You want to allow students to access any page on ://example.com but not the main Example.com site. |
Students should be asked to download the browser in advance of the assessment as it can take a little while to setup locally and it will give them a chance to troubleshoot if they come across any issues.
Students should also be aware of their Strathclyde credentials, as SEB may not allow them to use their password manager.